Leadership

I have not had time to blog the last couple days because I have been taking a graduate course though Grand Valley State University called Educational Leadership. I took the course simply because I need 6 credit hours every 5 years to renew my teacher certification, but I have found the class has been good for me.

First of all, I have never had a desire to be an administrator. I see the grief that they constantly deal with, and the lack of appreciation that they are given or recognized for. However, the class has definitely made me think that good leaders are needed in education and in all life. But what are some of the qualities that are necessary to be an effective leader?

To answer this, I look in to directions. I first look at my boss. His name is Jack, and he is the principal at the high school where I teach. While he can tick me off from time to time, I really do respect and appreciate him as the leader of our school. Someone once told me that leaders often are visionaries or they are great operators. Jack has both qualities. He has the guts to head up a $29 million dollar project to build a new high school. Concurrently, he knows so many (all?) of the students by name and what interests and motivates them. He pours a lot of himself into his job, and I can almost guarantee that the pats on the back are not nearly enough. In fact, I believe he often shields us from a lot of the crap and politics that come into his office.

So I thought I would ask you what qualities you desire or you see in an effective leader? I would love to hear from you.

Hope you are having a great weekend. I am off to do some grading and get some finals ready.